03 simple ideograms
TRANSCRIPT
Lesson 03 Independent characters (2)
- Simple ideograms
zhǐ shì zì• Simple ideograms ( 指 事 字 - indication ), which are also
called “Indicative characters”, express abstract meanings by simple symbols.
• Characters of this sort either add indicators to pictographs to make new meanings, or illustrate abstract concepts directly.
• The indicative characters are much fewer in number than the pictograms.
• In the examples below, low numerals are represented by the appropriate number of strokes:
běn mòIn "本"(root) and "末"(treetop),a short string underneath and a short string upside are respectively used to indicate the positions of a root and treetop.
běn本 root
mò末 top of tree - apex
shàng xiàIn the characters "上 "and "下 ", an iconic indication above and below a line is used to express the directions “up” and “down”.
shàng上 Up
xià下 Down
zhōng
中 middle, centre
dà大 big
xiǎo 小 small
tài太 too,excessively
tiān 天 sky,day
yán 言 speech, word
huí 回 circle,return
Takk for i dag!